Gospel: Mark 14:12-16, 22-26
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed
the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to
go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He sent two of his disciples
and said to them, "Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a
jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover
with my disciples? Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and
ready. Make the preparations for us there. The disciples then went off, entered
the city and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover.
While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to
them, and said, "Take it; this is my body. Then he took a cup, gave
thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them,
"This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I
say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I
drink it new in the kingdom of God. Then, after singing a hymn, they went out
to the Mount of Olives.
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Reflection:
A young man asked his parents why they go to church to attend daily
Mass. His parents told him that they attend Mass daily because they get to see
Jesus in the altar and they receive Jesus and be one with Him during Holy
Communion.
Then the son said, how come that when I go to Mass I don’t see Jesus? I
only see the priest in the altar and during Holy Communion I only see the wafer
bread that is given to me by the priest. The father said, I think you’re
lacking in faith and perhaps you’re not focused in the celebration of the Holy
Mass that is why you don’t see its Jesus who presides.
Lack of faith and focus during Holy Mass is something that many of us
experience. That is why we don’t take Holy Mass seriously and that is why we
are easily swayed to switch to other Christian faiths. And leave behind our
Roman Catholic faith the moment somebody read to us selected bible passages. If
our faith in Jesus is strong and if our faith in the Holy Mass is rock solid we
will not leave the church and we will take seriously our presence at Holy Mass.
Who presides in the celebration of the Holy Mass? It’s none other than
Jesus in the person of the priest! The same Jesus who took bread, blessed it,
broke it, gave it to His apostles and said: “Take it this is my body.” The same
Jesus who took a cup, gave thanks then gave the cup to His apostles after which
they all drank from it (Mark 14:22-23). It’s only through the eyes
of our faith that we would be able to comprehend that it’s really Jesus who
presides in every Mass. And that we partake of His Body and Blood during Holy
Communion.
Today is the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ. What is the
relevance of this Solemnity to ourselves? It invites us to have faith in Jesus
and in the Holy Mass. It invite us to believe and have faith that the bread and
wine that we partake during Holy Communion. Is transubstantiated to become the
Body and Blood of Jesus the moment it is consecrated by the priest.
Do you believe? – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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